A Death Row Survivor
Kirk Bloodsworth was known in his small crabbing town of Maryland with no prior criminal record, a former star discus thrower and an honorably discharged marine. Yet after he was identified based off of a composite sketch by two young boys, he was arrested for the murder and rape of nine year old Dawn Hamilton.
The investigation of the murder and rape of young Dawn Hamilton received mass amounts of media attention due to the heinous nature of the crime. It is assumed that due to this substantial media attention there was a pressure to find the perpatrator in a timely manner, which is why other suspects were discarded that would have been harder to convict.
Apart from the eyewitness identifications was evidence against Bloodsworth based on the composite sketch above were statements made by acquaintances of his. These statements ranged from claiming that he discussed the bloody rock that he had murdered Dawn Hamilton with, to saying that he had done something that would anger his wife.
Kirk Bloodsworth had already spent eight years in prison, one and a half of those years being spent on death row, when he became the first person to be exonerated from death row by DNA evidence in 1993. Once the DNA testing became available in 1991, Kirk Bloodsworth's attorney paid about $10,000 out of pocket because he knew his client was innocent. At the time of the trial sperm was found on Dawn Hamilton's underwear but the technology to test the DNA was not available. In 1993 the sperm that was found cleared Bloodsworth's name in the eyes of the legal system but not necessarily in the eyes of the public.
When the representative from the state’s attorney’s office announced publicly that DNA testing had revealed no trace of innocence by saying, “Based on the evidence, our office did the right thing in prosecuting him. . . . I believe he is not guilty. . . . I’m not prepared to say he’s innocent.”
Kirks Bloodsworth's friends and family members were extremely supportive throughout his trial and prison sentence. When asked about the whereabouts of these people on the day of his release he replied, "all of my family [was there when I got out]. We’re a real tight group, the Bloodsworths. . . . And I try to keep those people around because they’re the ones that are worth something. They’re just like precious jewels.”
Jeanette Bloodsworth
While in prison Kirk Bloodsworth's mother Jeanette was his biggest supporter. Jeanette Bloodsworth passed away from heart failure five months short of the exoneration and prison release of her son. Kirk Bloodsworth got was given five minutes at the funeral home to say his final goodbyes to his mother, but wasn't allowed to be joined by any family members while doing so.
In one particular interview Bloodsworth opened up about his emotions regarding her death and being denied access to his mother in her final moments: “Five months. That’s all it was. Five months. She was gone. I had to view her body in handcuffs, shackles and leg chains for five minutes. I couldn’t even go to the funeral. It had literally killed her, this mess. She wouldn’t go see a doctor because it cost too much money. She was always looking out for me. She hadn’t bought a dress . . . she hadn’t bought nothing. . . . She didn’t want to spend the money for looking after me. It was Christmas of 1992, and she came [to the prison to tell me she was dying]. It was the last time I seen her alive.” For all she knew, he would spend the rest of his life behind bars and carry out the rest of his sentence.
"But you know what?" says his sister, Vickie DelGrosso. "My mom said from day one, 'this will all be righted.'
Curtis Bloodsworth
While all of this was going on, Curtis Bloodsworth had to manage both the burden of this wrongful conviction against his son and the burden the sickness and ultimate loss of his wife. In an interview Kirk Bloodsworth noted that his father suffered immensely trying to manage the stress along with the saddness he was overwhelmed by.
The financial burden upon his parents
While maintaining his innocence throughout the trial, that also came along with the financial burden his family suffered due to the legal fees. His father and mother went to the extent of mortgaging their home and spending their life's savings in order to provide for his defense. Bloodsworth still has vivid memories of the holes in his mother's clothing because she wouldn't purchase things for herself so that she could spend every cent that she had to prove her son's innocence.
Vickie DelGrosso, his sister
Vickie DelGrosso, his older sister, says that when her brother would describbe what being a prisoner was like it sounded like a nightmare. When speaking about visiting her brother she says that "I'll always remember the sound of the cell door closing behind you, I don't know how he stood it."
Thomas P. Hamilton (father):
Dawn Hamilton's family kept remotely quiet throughout the trial but we were able to find an Victim Impact Statement from trial. In this statement, Thomas P. Hamilton was asked to descrive how the murder affected him in 1985, he responded that "It left me in a deep depression which caused a drinking problem for several months," wrote Hamilton. "I no longer do the things I would do with my daughter."
Statement from Kirk Bloodsworth post exoneration:
After his release Bloodsworth received a lot of attention, when asked about his regard to the suffering of Thomas P. Hamilton he proclaimed, "He got the worst end of the deal, no doubt about it. I got the stigma and the lost years, but he lost his little girl, I pray every day for him and for Dawn. And I pray they will find the killer."
Elinor Helmick
Elinor Helmick was a family friend of the Hamiltons that happened to be the one taking care of her on the day of her brutal rape and murder and also acted as a witness in court against Bloodsworth. After his exoneration and the conviction of the actual offender she commented only that "He showed no remorse. It was awful." With no apology to Bloodsworth.